December Street
by Squirrel Singer
Summary: A songfic oneshot I wrote based on the song "A Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. Please do not bash and I apologize for any inconvenience concerning lack of a certain djinni. Kithaniel (why yes, I'm coining a term. Problem?)


**Me: *ahem* Kitty! **  
**Kitty: What? **  
**Me: Would you be a good girl and do the disclaimer for me? **  
**Kitty: Why? I thought Bartimaeus was doing the disclaimer for War No More...**  
**Me: This isn't War No More. **  
**Kitty: WHAT? **  
**Me: Darling, it's a songfic. About you. Now do the disclaimer. **  
**Kitty: RT does not own the Bartimaeus Trilogy or "A Thousand Miles." She does own the lovely chair she's sitting on, though...**

* * *

Neat rows of powdery white lined each windowsill and roof. On the streets, the pure white had been stained a slushy brown by passing vehicles. Even now, flecks of weightless, fluffy snow were gently drifting down from the sky, catching in the girl's dark hair.

The girl looked up and drew her coat closer around herself, shivering slightly. A cold evening breeze whipped her hair around her face. Street lamps were lighting up one by one all along the darkening road. It was time to go home.

Kathleen Jones, who preferred to be called Kitty, wove her way through the crowd, passing by a store where light streamed out the windows cheerily and busy Londoners went about their Christmas shopping. Pausing to warm herself in the glow, she heard the music coming from inside.

_Making my way downtown_  
_Walking fast_  
_Faces pass_  
_And I'm homebound_

_Staring blankly ahead_  
_Just making my way_  
_Making a way_  
_Through the crowd_

_And I need you_  
_And I miss you_  
_And now I wonder..._

_If I could fall_  
_Into the sky_  
_Do you think time_  
_Would pass me by? _  
_'Cause you know I'd walk_  
_A thousand miles_  
_If I could just_  
_See you_  
_Tonight_

Kitty's eyes welled with tears. Nathaniel, she thought sadly. I need you. I miss you. But a thousand miles isn't enough for me to get to heaven or wherever you are, is it?

* * *

Just down the street, a teenage boy also stopped by a store to listen to the same song. He brushed melting flakes of snow off his short, dark hair and tugged at his coat in a futile effort to make himself warmer.

_It's always at times like these_  
_When I think of you_  
_And I wonder if you ever think of me_

_'Cause everything's so wrong_  
_And I don't belong_  
_Living in your precious memories_

_'Cause I need you_  
_And I miss you_  
_And now I wonder..._

_If I could fall_  
_Into the sky_  
_Do you think time_  
_Would pass me by? _  
_'Cause you know I'd walk_  
_A thousand miles_  
_If I could just see you_  
_Tonight_

The boy's pale face contorted into an expression of sadness. Kitty. Where did you go? Why did you just disappear? I tried to find you, I really did. I hope you're happy and forgot about me...

He no longer wanted to listen to this song, this song that brought horrible memories and thoughts. The boy continued up the street, but the song kept playing. Was every building on this dratted street playing the same song?

_And I, I_  
_Don't want to let you know_  
_I, I_  
_Drown in your memory_  
_I, I_  
_Don't want to let this go_  
_I, I_  
_Don't_

He did indeed drown in Kitty's memories. They followed him everywhere he went, compelling him to search for the girl. You would think the newspapers would tell about where she was, but there was no trace of her.

* * *

Stupid song, bringing back the worst memories of her life. Kitty started down the street again, wondering why every store seemed to be broadcasting the same song. It was in no way Christmas-y. She even suspected it was written by an American. Stop it, stop it! She wanted the singer to stop reminding her how much it hurt to think of Nathaniel, how much she drowned in his memory.

_Making my way downtown_  
_Walking fast_  
_Faces pass_  
_And I'm homebound_

_Staring blankly ahead_  
_Just making my way_  
_Making a way_  
_Through the crowd_

_And I still need you_  
_And I still miss you_  
_And now I wonder..._

Lost in her thoughts (mostly about finding ways to murder the singer so that the cursed song would stop playing), she collided head-on with a young man walking up the street.

They both instantly started spurting apologies, brushing themselves off and asking if the other was okay. Kitty looked up. The boy...

"Nathaniel?"

* * *

_If I could fall_  
_Into the sky_  
_Do you think time_  
_Would pass us by? _  
_'Cause you know I'd walk_  
_A thousand miles_  
_If I could just see you..._

Hearing his birth name gave him a start. Of course, to avoid being recognized, he had cut his hair and started going by his birth name again, but the voice...

"Kitty?"

"Nathaniel! You - you -"

"I came back, Kitty," he said breathlessly, his words hanging in the frosty air in a cloud of white. "I don't know how I lived, but I came back - to find you."

"I thought you were dead. Dead, Nathaniel. You don't know how much this means to see you just...alive and breathing."

Nathaniel didn't say anything, just pulled her to his chest and held her, feeling the heat of her body warming him in the winter air.

Kitty mumbled something into his coat and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What was that?"

"I said I love you, Nathaniel."

"I...I love you, Kitty." He meant it with all his heart.

_If I could fall_  
_Into the sky_  
_Do you think time_  
_Would pass me by? _  
_'Cause you know I'd walk_  
_A thousand miles_  
_If I could just see you_  
_If I could just hold you_  
_Tonight_

The singer's voice faded into the distance. Nathaniel was a bit taken aback when Kitty pressed her lips onto his, but he kissed her back, just the two of them, together in the bitter December evening.

"Merry Christmas, Kitty," he said, pulling away.

"Merry Christmas, Nathaniel."

* * *

**And there goes my first songfic and first oneshot. I really need to write more fanfics... **

**Anyway, FF's guidelines are a bit confusing because it says "musical lyrics not available to the public domain" so I don't know if that means I can't use lyrics at all or if I can only if they're available to the public. Please don't murder me if I broke the guidelines, I'm sorry. **

**Now...review, please. I know it's not Christmastime by far, but my fingers are freezing so I feel like snow. Nathaniel bumping into Kitty on the street would be a rather nice Christmas present, don't you think? **


End file.
